Hi All,
I'm 53 and have been suffering with fissures (a fissure?) since my late twenties. I normally have pain for a week or two and then recovery for another week after that, so most of my episodes last two to three weeks. I can then be 'normal' for months, even up to a year and a half but the fissure always raises its ugly head eventually.
I have been to see doctors previously but they have never been sure if it was a fissure or internal hemmorhoids. What is it about doctors? You tell them you are in agonising pain and the first thing they want to do is shove something up your butt!! They then refer me to a specialist who cant see me for a month or two and by the time he checks it out theres nothing there but some scars.
Anywho, my most recent episode started about a day after my doctor checked my prostate with her finger (could this have started it off?). It seemed to be progressing normally then some thing went wrong after about nine or ten days (perhaps a harder BM?) and the pain went into overdrive.
I went back to see the doc and she said it sounded like a fissure, when she looked she could see one but wanted to check that there were no other problems and started trying to insert something the size of a cruise liner up my bottom. I think they heard the scream of pain a mile away.
She gave up at that point and prescribed rectogesic, which didn't seem to do anything at least at first anyway. About two and a half weeks ago I had two days of excruciating pain where my wife thought I was going to cry. The only thing able to relieve it slightly was a good hot bath. We have a whirlpool spa bath so I put the bubbles on low and let them play over the affected area. I get that the fissure hurts but why does your whole butt feel as though you were kicked by a horse?
Went to see the doctor again and tried to describe the pain and she prescribed lidocaine which was pretty useless to be honest it stung more when I used it than if I used nothing.
I wouldn't wish this pain on my worst enemy but sometimes it would be nice for the doctor to feel what you feel, I am sure they would be much more focused on removing the pain!
I seem to be getting better at the moment, I can now pass a BM without the immediate pain I just get the pain for about 6 to 8 hours after and i get these 'pulses' of pain.
Been managing it with hot baths, rectogesic, lidocaine, daily doses of lactulose (a mild laxative) and regular drinks of some stuff like bird seed called Lepicol.
Do not want another two months plus of pain again and feel sorry for those of you who seem to suffer continuously.